GayHopper—Where Being Gay Is Beautiful

In a world so used to hatred and negativity, where it’s easier to dismiss and stereotype instead of understand and celebrate, how does one make a difference? How does one resist the almost-instinctual impulse to be angry, to retaliate with an equal degree of spite? How does one end a cycle of hate against hate, and begin a revolution of forgiveness, and subsequently, healing, especially in the LGBTQ community—a community that is only beginning to be understood, whose members’ voices are only beginning to be heard?

Well, we at GayHopper have some ideas regarding the matter. Our core beliefs? Integrity, generosity, mutual enjoyment and community.

But first things first: what is GayHopper?

GayHopper 101

GayHopper is a peer-to-peer travel platform that is especially designed for members of the LGBTQ community with the goal of fostering understanding through the sharing of stories, and lives—even if it’s just for a day. People travel for a lot of reasons, and one of GayHopper’s goals is to help make your journey a more enriching, educational one—one that would lead to lifelong experiences, stories, and friends.

Sharing your life through home sharing is a concept seen in other peer to peer travel platforms such asCouchsurfing andWorkaway. GayHopper, however, puts more premium on creating a closer, stronger and more secure worldwide network for members of the LGBTQ community.

The site is an online platform where we can all meet, get to know each other, discuss travel destinations, experiences, and ideas. It is a great source of firsthand travel tips and hacks—and a place for us to share our own ideas, too!

In a lot of places in the world, we are left to fend for ourselves: a lot of us are left with no choice but to lead secret lives, faced with the possibility of hate and alienation from society (and in a lot of cases, including our own families), even legal consequences—in extreme cases, including death. GayHopper also serves as a platform for solace, an online community where we can fully express who we are, and be celebrated and loved for being so.

And all this, we will do for free.

GayHopper is, in a lot of ways, an online family.

A well-represented online family. Source: http://admablog.com/

LGBTQ = Kindness

GayHopper, essentially, is all about being kind. It’s bridging the gap between genders, between identifications through values that everybody is aiming for: kindness, love, positivity and compassion. It’s all about creating a community where we are all welcome, we’re all-accepting, each of us is family.

The world can be a scary place, yes, and we, as members of the LGBT community, know it. And in a world where anger and hatred is almost an impulse, understanding and compassion is a revolution. And this is Gayhopper’s revolution—we are the LGBT community, and we are a community of people who have chosen, and will always choose to let understanding and love triumph over bigotry.

The goal is to spread light into the world, one member at a time, one successful home-sharing experience at a time: acts that would create a larger ripple of happiness for and celebration of diversity.

Here at GayHopper, positivity is our enlightenment. We share our homes, and in doing so, we share our lives. This site is an avenue for members to share your stories of adventure, your experiences, and your precious learnings.

So in a nutshell, that’s who we are. The goal is to make the GayHopper logo a worldwide symbol of hope, love, and generosity—to have a family member you can go home to, wherever you might be in the globe.